Traders in Kogi of Igbo extraction on Monday protested rising cases of kidnapping targeting their wives.
While staging a protest walk in Lokoja, Kogi State capital, the traders lamented that their women and tribesmen have been the target of kidnappers not only in Kogi State, but North Central as a whole.
They claimed that 18 Igbo women were kidnapped in the last 2 years with the latest victim released on Sunday after the payment of an undisclosed ransom.
Speaking during a protest in Lokoja, leader of the Igbo community in Kogi, Ken Anyanwu, explained that Igbo community discovered that their women have become target of kidnappers to extort money from them, disclosing that a whopping sum of N200 million has been paid to kidnappers as ransom in past few years.
“What we are doing is just a protest to show our grievances about what has been happening to us for over the past two years now.
“Over two years now, our wives have been kidnapped incessantly. Within every other two weeks, they keep kidnapping our wives. When they are kidnapped, we pay a ransom, and they are released the next day. Then they will go and kidnap another person. Between then and now, about 20 have been kidnapped.
“This very kidnapping is profiled kidnapping. They profile Igbo businessmen and go after our wives. The focus is on our women and over 18 have been kidnapped and two men.
“We have paid over N200 million since then. The last one (kidnapping) happened on Tuesday and she was released on Sunday after ransom was paid. We want the government in Kogi state to protect us, our wives, and our businesses.
“The average Igboman has no time for all this nonsense; we come here to do our business, face our business, and take care of ourselves. Our shops have been locked and by 5 pm we will look at what we have done and make fresh decisions,” he said.
They called on government and security agencies to come to their aid by protecting their families and business interests.
He, however, maintained that their shops would remain shut till Monday evening when a new decision would be taken on the next line of action
